Miridi
COLLECTED QASHMALLIM REPORT #4256 Date collected: D156.Y135 OBSERVATIONAL REPORT G-342-D-001 Observer: Vn Px QcSubject: Race Studies - The Miridi Beginning Report: At the request of the Exalted One Cl Jt Zw, I took Assistant Observer Yv Oq Xm and traveled to Galactic Sector R-04, where the race known as the Miridi have based their civilization. The two of us traveled between the worlds inhabited by the Miridi and observed the habits of the race in its different environments. What follows are our combined observations and notes. Sector: Galactic Sector R-04 consists of approximentally fifty stars, including the binary system RVR-04663. The Miridi inhabit planets orbiting the stars ESE-43322, ETE-45530, and WRW-32221, and have colonies on planets scattered along the rest of the sector and beyond. This report will focus on the "main body" of the Miridi, those inhabiting the planet they call ReYiSo ("Second Chance"); as noted in "Additional: Miridi Exodus", they descend from the primary generation ships. Additional notes will be provided as a sideline for the Miridi of WoCaiXu ("Endless Sky") and PonTriZen ("Unanswered"). Of note is that, due to the wide array of worlds they live on, the Miridi refer to their civilization as the "Miridi diaspora". They do not claim rulership of the worlds they call home, as opposed to the Sciuridians and their "Hegemony". Planet Overviews: The Main Three ReSiYo is a planet orbiting the yellow dwarf star ESE-43322, the second in the planet's system and the only one currently supporting life (though the third planet may be due in the next thousand years). It is unusual in processing only one large land mass, covering approximentally 40% of the planet's surface, with the rest of the planet as ocean. The Miridi inhabit an area along its coast and moving partially inwards, with a few arcologies in the ocean itself. Most of the remainder of the land mass is uninhabited by Miridi, though many native animals wander within it. WoCaiXu is the only satellite of the star ETE-45530, and was subject to terraforming by the Miridi after it was determined to be thoroughly without life. The planet is dotted throughout with islands, with few unbroken stretches of land. The Miridi tend to live on large ships rather than on the islands proper, as many of the inhabitants of WoCaiXu hold to the Analects of Kereza and believe the islands to be home to the Endless Multitude. PonTriZen orbits the bright giant star WRW-32221, serving as its third satellite. It was terraformed, but the process was imperfect. As a result, it is dotted with broken, jagged canyons throughout, and most of the planet is subject to near-constant rainfall. Seeing this as a challenge, the Miridi of this planet prefer to live in more "primitive" structures rather than the arcologies of ReSiYo, and many take pride in performing their labor with more archaic means (such as using metal handtools instead of automated processes to harvest wood). There is a single arcology at the center of the planet's main continent, where those Miridi who do not have the same viewpoint as the majority live. Major Species: The Miridi Appearance: Miridi are among the taller races of the galaxy, each standing at approximentally eight feet tall on average. They possess broad chests, thin waists and broad hips, and have a single long, sinous arm on their chests that splits around the halfway point into three flexible arms ending in three-fingered hands. Their legs are backward-jointed and end in two-toed feet. Miridi have oblong heads on long, flexible necks, four eyes, narrow mouths, and smooth skin that varies in color from blue to red and all shades between. A thin layer of fur, the same color as the skin, covers the Miridi's neck, arm, legs and the top of their heads. Female Miridi possess a narrow slit on their stomachs, the "feeding pore". Though several groups of Miridi have lived separately on disparate planets for centuries, not enough time has passed for the race to divide on evolutionary lines, a situation aided by regular interbreeding. - Clothing: Miridi wear long cloaks that they wrap around themselves and close with broaches. The colors and patterns of the cloaks indicate social status in a method so intricate that visitors often take months to decipher it. The cloaks may or may not have hoods. Miridi of WoCaiXu favor body wrappings that cover the waist, while PonTriZen Miridi do not close their cloaks, preferring loincloths for social modesty. Biological Requirements: As with all organic life, Miridi require food, water and air. Miridi are herbivorous creatures, and grow extensive crops on various patches of land as well as various "farm worlds". ReYiSo holds a number of nonnative plant species imported from the original Miridi homeworld. Miridi have an unusual sleep cycle. Their brains are configured such that they can function for up to three days at a time, but then must sleep for a full day to recover. At first this made life more difficult on their new worlds, but over the years the Miridi's internal timers have adjusted to their new worlds. Many Miridi make a habit of sleeping for an hour or so at a time at regular intervals, saving the "three day charge" for important business. Reproduction: Miridi reproduce in a similar fashion to most bipedal species. Females give live birth after eight months, to one child at a time; carrying twins is a very dangerous occurance to a Miridi, as females have proportionately small wombs. The placenta fully nourishes the newborn, so Miridi do not have umbilical cords. Miridi do not nurse; newborn Miridi have a feeding tube on the backs of their necks, which the mother attaches to the "feeding pore" on her stomach, at which point it functions similarly to an umbilical cord. After about two years, the tube atrophies and falls off as the child learns to eat normally. Lifespan: The average ReYiSo Miridi lives for 80 to 90 years. This figure changes throughout the diaspora - due to the somewhat harsher conditions, PonTriZen Miridi live to 70 years on average, for example. Culture Technology: The Miridi are Technology Level 13, and are on the cutting edge of technological sophistication among the races of the Greater Intergalatic Alliance of Species (GIGAS). Miridi spacecraft are known for their distinctive "corkscrew" appearance, with engines forming a loose spiral on the ship's rear. They have full artificial gravity, and are fueled by a set of fusion reactors powered by hydrogen, in turn collected by "scoops" along the ship's outside - thus the design of the crafts, which rotate in flight. Miridi ships do not carry weapons, but are protected by ultralight transparisteel plates - Viota ships are known to have to pour half their energy output into their weapons to have any hope of disabling a Miridi spacecraft. On planets, Miridi tend to live in carefully-constructed glass and transparisteel arcologies, each designed to support some several hundred thousand Miridi. Because this allows much of the population to live in a small area of a planet's surface, the Miridi tend not to develop most of the rest of the world. When travel is required, they either travel on foot or use an antigravity skiff. There are a few orbital stations, mostly used for refitting and repairing spacecraft, but they do maintain a small permanent population. In matters of construction, the Miridi use a variety of advanced tools, technology they have sold to other races - the Nambik most notably. They also use automated robots, which move on treads and possess a number of manipulator arms. Their robots have no AI and are controlled strictly by programming, controlled by central computers. Miridi medical technology is as advanced as the rest of their tech, though perhaps not as advanced as the Viota. They possess cures for almost all known diseases, and artificial organs are commonplace; almost all Miridi who reach the age of eighty possesses at least one. They do not, however, use artifical limbs, as the Miridi arm is nearly impossible to duplicate in prosthetics. Religon: The Miridi are not a religious species as a whole; the destruction of their original homeworld left them with a vastly diminished faith. However, the race does revere a concept they refer to as "ZiElNaiMeyTro", an idea that roughly translates into "Ever-Spiraling Harmony Among All Things". The central idea of "Ever Harmony" (as other races typically shorten it) is pacifism - not a surprising concept, given that the Miridi are herbivores - and diplomacy. Violence, Ever-Harmony teaches, damages the universe and sends it along the Reversed Spiral, a path that leads to destruction. Only by refusing to give in to violence is the universe maintained. (As a result of this belief, the Miridi language is sung rather than spoken - music is considered a sign of the universe in balance.) While Ever-Harmony is the primary belief of the Miridi, certain groups on other worlds (including a notable portion of WoCaiXu) continue to follow the beliefs of an ancient Miridi prophet, Kereza, who claimed to have seen the faces of a thousand gods while breathing fumes from a sacred moutain. The Kerezan Chosen worship the Endless Multitude in accordance with the Analects of Kereza, a much-debated text among the Miridi. - Creation Myth: The Miridi do not have a solid creation myth. Even the Analects of Kereza say nothing about their origins. Presumably whatever religions they had contained such myths, but that knowledge has decayed since the destruction of the original Miridi homeworld. Sexuality: Miridi relationships are in small groups. The number of males and females differ from group to group, but there are rarely more than five individuals involved. Individuals can enter or leave as they will, but the group as a whole can force a member out at any time. Outside of the groups, Miridi sexuality is fairly benign - they frown on casual out-of-group relationships, with the common attitude being "Just ask if you can join in, don't go skulking around in the dark". Children born into a group are told who their biological parents are, and will refer to the other group members as "uncle" or "aunt". There is an extremely strong incest taboo to the Miridi, a lingering restraint from the fear of having a crushed gene pool. Leadership: Because they are so widespread, the Miridi have had trouble with the issue of government. One of the first great discussions once faster-than-light communication was established was how to govern the species. Eventually, a compromise was reached. On ReSiYo, as well as many other Miridi worlds, the species is led by a council of democratically-elected Miridi, who serve for five years (going by the local calendar). The council consists of between six to ten Miridi, depending on the planet's size. There are frequent arguments between council members, as they usually have different views on issues. ReSiYo, in particular, is divided between the VoCaiXeeWonAi ("Old Way Holders") and the HonZaWikOrn ("Those Who Break Doors") political parties. WoCaiXu is led by three Miridi: the Fleet Master, who heads the lead ship of the fleet; the Current Watcher, who watches the Miridi's health and comfort and reports to the Fleet Master; and the Highest Brother (or Sister), the keeper of the Analects of Kereza. PonTriZen is broken into a number of tribal communities, part of their embrace of primitive ways. However, each year at the beginning of summer, a representative of each tribe travels to the base of the largest mountain on PonTriZen and discusses the current situation. Every five years by the OndWeirAhn calendar, they also select a Voice of All. Every five years, going by the calendar of OndWeirAhn (the original Miridi homeworld), leaders from each planet meet on ReSiYo to determine the current state of the Miridi Diaspora. This consists of the current Executive Speaker of the ReSiYo council, the Fleet Master of WoCaiXu, the Voice of All from PonTriZen, and council leaders from each other world. The meeting tends to last a month. Cultural Relations: Controlling many planets, and thus the resources on those planets, gives the Miridi a great advantage. To put it simply, the Miridi are one of the richest races in the galaxy. This leads to jealousy, but as the Miridi are pacifists and remarkably good at negotiation, few races would think in violent terms. It was in part due to being so wealthy that the Miridi finally arranged for the founding of the GIGAS. They were one of the four founding races, and have served as the strongest member of the alliance ever since. The current Executive Chair, Elkeiza, is a ReSiYo Miridi. In many cases, the Miridi were a race's first contact with the GIGAS. This holds true for the Nambik, Alriqu, and Ondolori, among others. The Nambik are long-term allies of the Miridi, and have even purchased several colony worlds from them. There is a language barrier between them, as the Miridi's singsong language is hard for the Nambik to pick up, but they can field several translators as needed. The Miridi view the Nambik as impressively determined, but far too staid. Miridi ships will not enter Viota territory under any circumstances, even if it adds a year to the journey. Viota love to attack the Miridi, because something about them makes their females very suitable as Queens. As Miridi ships rarely carry weapons, any attack by the Viota is likely to be fatal. Diet: The Miridi are herbivorous. They typically consume about five pounds of foliage each day, typically leafy plants with some fruit mixed in. Their favorites include GiOttSu ("the black vine"), TonRuRu ("the bright-colored sphere"), and RuRuXu ("the sphere of the sky"). As is clear, they are not imaginative in naming their food. Due to contact with the Nambik, the Miridi have taken a liking for Earth fruits, giving the much-put-upon humans a way to expand their ties to the galaxy. Additional: Miridi Exodus Eight hundred years ago (measured by the calendar of OndWeirAhn), Miridi scientists found that a giant meteor was going to strike their world, OndWeirAhn, within the next twenty years. At the time, the Miridi did not have the technology to intercept or destroy the meteor, which was far more than large enough to trigger an extinction event. As a result, the Miridi immediately turned all of their industry towards designing and building generation ships, with which they hoped to save the majority of their species and its creations. In order to not simply float through space for eternity, the Miridi also launched far-range space probes, designed to seek out worlds that could support Miridi life. Eighteen years later, the ships were ready. After careful deliberation, some 70% of the Miridi were loaded onto a fleet of twenty generation ships, as well as samples of OndWeirAhn's plant life. (The remaining 30% were offered free euthanasia services. Statistics as to how many took it are unavailable.) In addition, the "cultural treasures" - artwork and such - were loaded as well. A satellite was launched to chronicle the meteor's impact, and then the ships left OndWeirAhn. After two years, the generation ships received a message from the satellite, and the Miridi witnessed the destruction of OndWeirAhn. From the beginning of the planning stages, the Miridi disagreed on the ultimate purpose of the exodus. Several groups, in particular the followers of the Analects of Kereza, believed that they would be best served by landing as soon as possible and using their terraforming technology to bend a world to their needs. Others, however, considered the idea of terraforming in the first place to be an affront to Ever Harmony. (On OndWeirAhn, the technology was not illegal, but highly disapproved of.) After a generation of debate, the leaders of the expedition reached a compromise with the dissenters. On encountering a lifeless world, the leaders offered it to the dissenting group, pointing out that if the terraforming technology worked, life would come to a world that would otherwise be lifeless - a perfect example of Ever Harmony in action. The dissenters accepted, even though it was clear that if the terraforming failed, they would be doomed to die in space. The generation ships did not have faster-than-light travel, nor did the Miridi have any form of faster-than-light communication. Thus, when the fleet left the dissenters behind, they knew they would likely never hear from them again. The process was repeated another generation later, when another group of dissenters rose up. Some one hundred and twenty years after the ships left OndWeirAhn, the lead ship of the fleet intercepted one of their initial deep-space probes. Extracting information from it, they discovered that it had encountered a suitable world. The Miridi fleet now set out for that planet, encountering it forty years later. The ships landed seven generations after their departure, and the Miridi began to settle the world they named ReSiYo. Shortly after their arrival, a scientist named Itwazek discovered faster-than-light travel, and the leaders of the fleet sent a messenge probe back to the original worlds left for the terraformers. The replies both consisted of two words: "It worked." Once Miridi settlements were thoroughly established on ReSiYo, ambassadors traveled to the worlds thus created, WoCaiXu and PonTriZen. This was the beginning of the Miridi Diaspora. (TRANSMISSION ENDS) Category:GIGAS member races